Pictured at the inaugural Re-turn Awards at Croke Park are students and teachers from Nagle-Rice Primary School, Kerry, winners of €1,000 for their Re-turn Creativity Award-winning initiative, with judge Donncha O’Callaghan. Picture Conor McCabe Photography.A KERRY primary school was among the winners recognised at the first ever Re-turn Awards, which took place on Wednesday, June 3 at a special ceremony at Croke Park.
Hosted by Today FM presenter Ian Dempsey, the Awards recognised schools that have gone above and beyond to “Re-turn it Right”, using recycling projects to support sustainability, fundraising and positive change within their communities.
Nagle-Rice Primary School in Milltown received €1,000 for its efforts at the awards. The school was honoured with the Re-turn Creativity Award for transforming its campaign into a creative whole-school movement led by staff, pupils and the wider community.
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Activities included “Bring a Bottle to School Day,” poster and art competitions, poetry, creative writing, sustainability lessons, a school mascot and a pupil-made film, “The Bottle Brigade.”
Funds raised supported the development of the school’s new sensory classroom, demonstrating the positive impact the Deposit Return Scheme can have on schools and communities across Kerry.
More than 300 schools from across Ireland entered the awards, highlighting the enormous enthusiasm among primary schools for sustainability, recycling and community action.
On the day, 16 winning schools were recognised across a range of award categories celebrating innovation, participation, sustainability and community involvement.
The overall winner of the Re-turn Awards was Pelletstown Educate Together National School, Dublin, which received the top prize of €5,000 for its imaginative “Monster Bin’ initiative.
